university of otago phd thesis

Exceptional PhD Theses

We take great pleasure in announcing that the following PhD candidates have presented theses of exceptional quality.

A thesis is of exceptional quality when all three examiners of a candidate's thesis agree that the thesis is of an exceptional standard in every respect – research content, originality, quality of expression and accuracy of presentation – and is amongst the top 10% of theses examined.

Exceptional Theses 2018–present

2017 Exceptional Theses

2016 exceptional theses, 2015 exceptional theses, 2014 exceptional theses, 2013 exceptional theses, 2012 exceptional theses, 2011 exceptional theses, 2010 exceptional theses, 2008 exceptional theses, 2007 exceptional theses, jerram bateman, department of geography: rural livelihoods in sierra leone: longitudinal insights from panguma and kayima.

(Primary Supervisor: Professor Tony Binns)

For more information on Jerram's work, please contact the Geography Department by email at [email protected]

Sarah Fraser, Department of Sociology, Gender and Social Work: Is there a suit missing in the social worker's wardrobe? A study of the nature and extent of an educator role in everyday social work practice in Aotearoa New Zealand

(Primary Supervisor: Dr Lynnette Briggs)

For more information on Sarah's work, please contact the Sociology, Gender and Social Work Department by email at [email protected]

Karen Greig, Department of Anthropology and Archaeology: Tracking dogs across the Pacific: an archaeological and ancient DNA study

(Primary Supervisor: Professor Richard Walter)

For more information on Karen's work, please contact the Anthropology and Archaeology Department by email at [email protected]

Rachel Rafferty, National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies: Civil society activists in a protracted conflict: Explaining differences in motivation to engage in intergroup peacebuilding in Northern Ireland

(Primary Supervisor: Dr. Katerina Standish)

For more information on Rachel's work, please contact the National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies by email at [email protected]

Masoumeh Rahmani, Department of Theology & Religion: Drifting through Samsara: Tacit conversion and disengagement in Goenka's Vipassana movement in New Zealand

(Primary Supervisor: Associate Professor Will Sweetman)

For more information on Masoumeh's work, please contact the Theology & Religion Department by email at [email protected]

Tracy Rogers, Higher Education Development Centre: 'Doing the work of hearing': Exploring Cambodian school girls' educational persistence

(Primary Supervisor: Dr Vivienne Anderson)

For more information on Tracy's work, please contact the Higher Education Development Centre by email at [email protected]

Luca J. Uberti, Department of Politics: Good-governance, corruption and growth: A political economy of post-socialist industrial transformation in Albania and Kosovo, 1998-2015

(Primary Supervisor: Professor Philip Nel)

For more information on Luca's work, please contact the Politics Department by email at [email protected]

Megan Gollop, Children's Issues Centre: Moving on? Parents' perspectives on the impact of post-separation relocation disputes

(Primary Supervisor: Associate Professor Nicki Taylor).

For more information on Megan's work, please contact the Children's Issues Centre by email at [email protected]

Naomi Johnstone, Faculty of Law: Access to justice in the wake of war. Rule of law programming and customary justice in post-conflict Bougainvill e

(Primary Supervisor: Professor Jacinta Ruru)

For more information on Naomi's work, please contact the Faculty of Law by email [email protected]

Sharon Matthews, Department of English and Linguistics: The monstrous mother and the "natural man": Mythic figures and recurring metaphors in the plays of James K. Baxter.

(Primary Supervisor: Professor Alistair Fox).

For more information on Sharon's work, please contact the Department of English and Linguistics by email [email protected]

Ashley Samantha Murchison, Department of Politics: Aim for the heart? A study of New Zealand voter's responses to emotional appeals in televised political advertising

(Primary Supervisor: Dr. Christopher Rudd).

For more information on Ashley's work, please contact the Department of Politics by email at [email protected]

Thomas Michael Ian Noakes-Duncan, Department of Theology and Religion: Communities of restoration: Ecclesial ethics and restorative justice

(Primary Supervisor: Professor Murray Rae)

For more information on Thomas's work, please contact the Department of Theology and Religion by email at [email protected]

Joanne Oranje, Department of English and Linguistics: Intercultural communicative language teaching: Enhancing awareness and practice through cultural portfolio projects

(Primary Supervisor: Dr Anne Feryok)

For more information on Joanne's work, please contact the Department of English and Linguistics by email at [email protected]

Susan Robson, Faculty of Law: Policy, operations and outcomes in the New Zealand employment jurisdiction 1990-2008

(Primary Supervisor: Professor Paul Roth)

For more information on Susan's work, please contact the Faculty of Law by email at [email protected]

Lee Adam, Higher Education Development Centre: Troubling plagiarism. University students' understandings of plagiarism

(Primary Supervisor: Professor Rachel Spronken-Smith)

For more information on Lee's work, please contact the Higher Education Development Centre by email at [email protected]

Iain Matheson, University of Otago College of Education: Slipping down ladders and climbing up snakes: The educational experiences of young adults who were in foster care

(Primary Supervisor: Dr Gill Rutherford)

For more information on Iain's work, please contact the University of Otago College of Education by email at [email protected]

Justin Maxwell, Department of Anthropology and Archaeology: The Moriori. The integration of Arboriculture and Agroforestry in an East Polynesian society

(Primary Supervisor: Associate Professor Ian Barber)

For more information on Justin's work, please contact the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology by email at [email protected]

Ian Moodie, Department of English and Linguistics: Grounded narrative inquiry into language teacher cognition: Stories and case studies on English language teaching in South Korea

For more information on Ian's work, please contact the Department of English and Linguistics by email at [email protected]

Suzanne Renner, University of Otago College of Education: Generalist teachers' self-efficacy beliefs for teaching dance

(Primary Supervisor: Associate Professor David Bell)

For more information on Suzanne Renner's work, please contact the University of Otago College of Education by email at [email protected]

Bridgette Toy-Cronin, Faculty of Law: Keeping up appearances: Accessing New Zealand's Civil Courts as a litigant in person

(Primary Supervisor: Professor John Dawson)

For more information on Bridgette's work, please contact the Faculty of Law Department by email at [email protected]

Gaye Wall, Department of English and Linguistics: Self-regulation during a reading-to-write task: A sociocultural theory-based investigation

For more information on Gaye's work, please contact the Department of English and Linguistics by email at [email protected]

Rachel Buxton, Centre for Sustainability: Ecological drivers of seabird recovery after the eradication of introduced predators

(Primary Supervisor: Professor Henrik Moller)

For more information on Rachel's work, please contact the Centre for Sustainability by email at [email protected]

Allan Cooke, Faculty of Law: State responsibility for children in care

(Primary Supervisor: Professor Mark Henaghan)

For more information on Allan's work, please contact the Faculty of Law by email at [email protected]

Daniel Davy, Department of History and Art History: Lost tailings: Gold rush societies and cultures in colonial Otago, New Zealand, 1861-1911

(Primary Supervisor: Professor Angela McCarthy)

For more information on Daniel's work, please contact the History and Art History Department by email at [email protected]

Angga Dwiartama, Centre for Sustainablity: Investigating resilience of agriculture and food systems: Insights from two theories and two case studies

(Primary Supervisor: Professor Hugh Campbell)

For more information on Angga's work, please contact the Centre for Sustainability by email at [email protected]

Erin Heim, Department of Theology and Religion: Light through a prism: New avenues of inquiry for the Pauline Huiothesia metaphors

(Primary Supervisor: Professor Paul Trebilco)

For more information on Erin's work, please contact the Theology and Religion Department by email at [email protected]

Jonathan Hicks, Department of Theology and Religion: Trinity, economy, and scripture: A theologically-motivated recovery of Didymus the Blind

(Primary Supervisor: Reverend Dr Christopher Holmes)

For more information on Jonathan's work, please contact the Theology and Religion Department by email at [email protected]

Jane McCabe, Department of History and Art History: Kalimpong kids: the lives and labours of Anglo-Indian adolescents resettled in New Zealand between 1908 and 1938

(Primary Supervisor: Professor Tony Ballantyne)

For more information on Jane's work, please contact the History and Art History Department by email at [email protected]

Adrian Nel, Department of Geography: Sequestering market environmentalism: Geographies of carbon forestry and unevenness in Uganda

(Primary Supervisor: Dr Doug Hill)

For more information on Adrian's work, please contact the Department of Geography, at [email protected]

Jane Tilson, College of Education: An exploration of the use of videotaped teaching and dialogue to support preservice teachers to critically reflect on their emerging teaching practice

(Primary Supervisor: Dr Susan Sandretto)

For more information on Jane's work, please contact the College of Education by email at [email protected]

Kyle Gervais, Department of Classics: Statius Thebaid II

(Primary Supervisor: Professor William Dominik)

For more information on Kyle's work, please contact the Classics Department by email: [email protected]

Adisorn Juntrasook, University of Otago College of Education: Narratives of leadership in academia. A discursive-dialogic analysis

(Primary Supervisor: Dr Karen Nairn)

For more information on Adisorn's work, please contact the University of Otago College of Education by email: [email protected]

Thomas Koentges, Department of Classics: Petronius' Satyrica. A commentary on its transmission, pre-plot fragments, and chapters 1-15

(Primary Supervisor: Dr John Garthwaite)

For more information on Thomas's work, please contact the Classics Department by email: [email protected]

Peter Petchey, Department of Anthropology and Archaeology: The archaeology of the New Zealand stamp mill

(Primary Supervisor: Associate Professor Ian Smith)

For more information on Peter's work, please contact the Anthropology and Archaeology Department by email: [email protected]

Anna Crighton, Department of History and Art History: The selection and presentation culture of the Robert McDougall Art Gallery, Christchurch, New Zealand, 1932-2002

(Primary Supervisor: Associate Professor Mark Stocker)

For more information on Anna's work, please contact the History and Art History Department by emai: [email protected]

Jamie Howarth, Department of Geography: Reconstructing the landscape response to earthquakes on the alpine fault, New Zealand

(Primary Supervisor: Associate Professor Sean Fitzsimons)

For more information on Jamie's work, please contact the Geography Department by email: [email protected]

Gillian Townsley, Department of Theology and Religion: The straight mind in Corinth: Queer readings across 1 Cor 11.2-16

For more information on Gillian's work, please contact the Department of Theology and Religion by email: [email protected]

Mathew Downs, Faculty of Law: No substantial miscarriage of justice: The history and application of the proviso to Section 385(1) of the Crimes Act 1961

(Primary Supervisor: Professor Kevin Dawkins) For more information on Mathew's work, please contact the Faculty of Law by email: [email protected]

Bronwyn Polaschek, Department of Media, Film and Communication: The postfeminist biopic: Narrating the lives of Plath, Kahlo, Woolf and Austen

(Primary Supervisor: Professor Hilary Radner)

For more information on Bronwyn's work, please contact the Department of Media, Film and Communication by email: [email protected]

Dennis Tay, Department of English and Linguistics: Metaphor in psychotherapy: Description and applications

(Primary Supervisor: Dr John Taylor)

For more information on Dennis' work, please contact the Linguistics Programme, Department of English and Linguistics by email: [email protected]

Donald Moffat, Department of Theology and Religion: Ezra's social drama: The mixed marriage controversy in Ezra 9 and 10 as social conflict

(Primary Supervisor: Dr James Harding)

For more information on Donald's work, please contact the Department of Theology and Religion by email: [email protected]

Andre Muller, Department of Theology and Religion: Donald M. MacKinnon. The true service of the particular, 1913-1959

(Primary Supervisor: Professor Ivor Davidson)

For more information on Andre's work, please contact the Department of Theology and Religion by email: [email protected]

Octavian Saiu, Department of Languages and Cultures: Beckett, Ionesco and the question of literary identity. A case study in the European reception of the theatre of the absurd at the end of the twentieth century

(Primary Supervisor: Dr Constantin Grigorut; Secondary Supervisor: Professor Chris Ackerley)

For more information on Octavian's work, please contact the Department of Languages and Cultures by email: [email protected]

Michael Stevens, Department of History and Art History: Muttonbirds and modernity in Murihiku: Continuity and change in Kai Tahu knowledge

(Primary Supervisor: Associate Professor John Stenhouse)

For more information on Michael's work, please contact the Department of History and Art History by email: [email protected]

Dr Marcel Fernandes, Department of English and Linguistics: Borges and pragmatism: Jorge Luis Borges, William James and the destruction of philosophy

(Primary Supervisor: Professor Chris Ackerley)

For more information on Marcel's work, please contact the English and Linguistics Department by email: [email protected]

Gill Rutherford, University of Otago College of Education: Different ways of knowing? Understanding disabled students' and teacher aides' school experiences within a context of relational social justice.

(Primary Supervisor: Dr Anne Bray, Secondary Supervisor: Dr Motohide Miyahara)

For more information on Gill's work, please contact the College of Education by email: [email protected]

Dr Greg Dawes, Department of Philosophy: Theism and explanation: a defence of scientific naturalism .

(Primary Supervisor: Professor Alan Musgrave)

For more information on Greg's work, please contact the Philosophy Department by email: [email protected]

Dr Robert Peden, Department of History and Art History: Pastoralism and the Transformation of the Rangelands of the South Island of New Zealand, 1841 to 1912. Mt Peel Station, a case study .

(Primary Supervisor: Professor Tom Brooking).

For more information on Robert's work, please contact the History and Art History Department by email: [email protected]

Thesis Information: Introduction

• Introduction
• Reviewing Literature
• Supervisors
• Māori Postgraduates

Who should use this guide?

This guide is designed as a resource for the University Community. It will be especially relevant for:

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Engaging in postgraduate thesis study requires knowledge of the research process from developing a thesis topic, exploring and analysing the literature, conducting and interpreting the research, to crafting and publishing the thesis. 

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Submit PhD or master's thesis final copy

Final copies of a PhD or master's thesis are uploaded to the University of Otago's thesis deposit system, OUR Archive.

Who is this available to

Master’s or PhD students at the University of Otago. 

How do I submit my final copy

Final copies of all theses are submitted to OUR Archive:

• Complete the Author Declaration Form (PDF 170KB).
• Log in to OUR Archive to upload your author declaration and thesis (click on Thesis Deposit Guide and follow the instructions).

OUR Archive

The AskOtago team can help you find what you’re after.

PhD - Doctor of Philosophy in Theology

This course is available

Level of Study

Doctoral Degree

Next start date

Expected Jul 2024

Wellington Campus

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is the highest degree offered by the University of Otago. It is awarded on the submission of a thesis which must meet rigorous standards. It requires highly developed academic ability, independence and perseverance. Most students take between 3-4 years of full-time study to complete their PhD.

Candidates for the degree of the Doctor of Philosophy are required to pursue an approved programme of advanced study and research under supervision as enrolled students of the University. The degree of Doctor of Philosophy is awarded on the basis of the submission of a thesis. The thesis, which may include a nominated creative component, should give evidence of the candidate’s ability to carry out research, that the candidate has shown originality and independence, and that the candidate has made a significant contribution to the advancement of their particular field. The research should be of a kind which a diligent and competent student might reasonably be expected to complete within three years of full-time study.

Theology programme has had a very significant number of postgraduate students and they have added to the life of the Theology programme in so many ways. It has been particularly encouraging to see postgraduates write excellent theses and then go on to establish academic careers. We hope that if you embark on postgraduate study, you will find it to be very satisfying and enriching.

There’s lots going on for research students – our Friday afternoon seminars, a range of Open Lectures given by visiting scholars, conferences, book launches and Centre for Theology and Public Issues events. The Division and the wider University also offer a whole range of workshops and seminars for research students that are highly recommended. Do make the most of what is available!

Research proposals: To gain entry to a PhD, you need to supply the Programme with a proposal indicating a focused theme, a methodology, and a suggested plan for the work. It is useful to include some initial bibliography with this proposal..

This programme focuses mainly on Theology.

Duration of the Programme

A candidate shall pursue a programme of study and research under supervision for a period normally equivalent to 3 full-time years.

The minimum period of study shall be equivalent to 3 full-time years and the maximum period shall be equivalent to 4 full-time years. Exceptions shall be permitted only with approval of the Senate.

No programme shall exceed the equivalent of six years of full-time study from the date of first admission.

A candidate shall be enrolled continuously for the entire period of the candidacy, up to the submission of the thesis, except that a candidate may apply to the Senate for permission to withdraw temporarily from study.

Location of Study and Research

Candidates are normally expected to be resident and studying in New Zealand while enrolled for the degree. Exceptions shall be permitted only with approval of the Senate.

Candidates proposing to study overseas may be approved to do so on a case-by-case basis by the Senate. Normally such study must be deemed necessary for the candidate's research. While overseas, the candidate must continue to be enrolled at the University.

Entry criteria

Every candidate must be a university graduate and produce evidence of ability to undertake research in the area of proposed study. Such evidence shall include:

• a Bachelor’s degree with first or upper second class Honours (with an average grade in Honours papers at or equivalent to at least B+ at the University of Otago) or equivalent (including a research component) with an average grade at or equivalent to at least B+ at the University of Otago;) or
• a Master’s degree (with an average grade at or equivalent to at least B+ at the University of Otago) (including an appropriate research component worth at least a quarter of a year's workload (0.25 EFTS), with a grade at or equivalent to at least B+ at the University of Otago); or
• appropriate research experience; and
• for candidates including a nominated creative component for assessment, demonstrated advanced training or experience in a relevant creative practice.
• IELTS (Academic module) (including IELTS Online) - Overall score of 6.5, no individual band below 6.0.
• TOEFL iBT - Overall score of 90 and a writing score of 21.
• C1 Advanced (previously Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE)) or C2 Proficiency (previously Cambridge English Proficiency (CPE)) - Overall score of 176 (with no individual band below 169).
• Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic - Overall score of 58 with no communicative skills score below 50.
• Language Cert - International ESOL: C1 Expert (LRWS) with a high pass overall and no less than a pass in each skill OR C2 Mastery (LRWS) with a pass overall and no less than a pass in each skill.
• NZCEL - NZCEL 5 Academic endorsement
• English New Zealand's Accredited Pathway Assessment - Assessment Level 3 (with no skill lower than Level 2).
• APIEL Advanced Placement International English Language Examination - Grade 4 or higher.

Studying in NZ

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-- Replaced by a new archive ---

This is a fairly complete collection of metadata on theses and dissertations (400 level, MSc, PhD) completed at the Department of Geology, University of Otago from 1948 until 2017 . Full text is not provided for any items on this website.

Please contact [email protected]  with any queries you have about this collection.

Access to full text and hard copies

Hard copies of most of these are available in the Department of Geology thesis library. Most are also available through the University of Otago library. Full text for some projects are available on the Otago University Research Archive (OURArchive):

• OURArchive Geology Department

Since 2010/2011 it has been a requirement for students to submit MSc and PhD projects (not 400 level) to OURArchive. Not all projects are open access with the full text available online.

Access to theses for current Geology Department Postgrads and Staff

In addition to the thesis library we have full text and other data (e.g. maps, digital appendices) for some projects in electronic format. These are organised on the Geology Data Drive in the Archive section in folders sorted by project type and labelled with the unique identifier: e.g. “2007MacKenzie”.

Search this collection spatially

This collection can be searched spatially by going to the new archive .

Data integrity and accuracy

This is a large collection and although a lot of work has gone into carefully curating the data, there are likely to be many issues. Some known issues with this database are:

• Missing metadata: some theses are missing from our collection, so metadata is also missing
• Missing map information: where it was difficult to ascertain the project area this information may be missing
• Advisers: For older theses the acknowledgements section was used to guess the Advisers, in some cases this list will likely contain people that were not formally advisers on these projects.
• Abstract: Some abstracts have been keyed in our checked. Others have just been copied and pasted from Optical Character Recognition on the Scans (using Adobe Acrobat). We will endeavour to fix these up over time. In addition some special characters such as superscript and subscript and italic text will not display in the abstract.A PDF copy of the abstract is supplied for each item where we have it.
• OURArchive access level and handle: This is a snapshot in time and as such we won’t necessarily have the most up to date information about which project are in OURArchive and what the access level it.

Please contact [email protected] with any items that need to be fixed.

How this collection was created

This metadata has been compiled by Luke Easterbrook in the Department of Geology, University of Otago by collecting metadata from theses and using other data sources:

• Otago University Research Archive
• Otago Library Catalogue
• UNION LIST OF ARCHIVAL, MANUSCRIPT AND THESES GEOLOGICAL MAPS OF NEW ZEALAND
• BIBLIOGRAPHY OF NEW ZEALAND EARTH SCIENCE THESES
• GNS Science QMap (for some map areas)
• Otago Geology thesis list

Thanks to Luke Easterbrook, Sarah Boessenecker and Jason Grieve for their work on this project. Thanks also to Alexander Ritchie and Allison Brown from the University of Otago library for their assistance and providing bulk data from their collections.